lled one of them with his javelin; the rest of the flock took this so
ill, that they attacked the murderer and beat him severely with their
wings, before other baidars could come to his assistance. The frequent
appearance of the pelican on this river, proves that it abounds in
fish; a remark that our pilot Marco confirmed; and we ourselves saw many
large fish leap to the surface of the water.

When the sailors had rested some hours, we continued our voyage up the
stream; but it was ebb-tide, and both currents united allowed us to make
but little progress. We landed therefore at six o'clock, after working
only a few miles, and pitched our tents for the night in a pretty
meadow. The river flowing as before, from the north, was here a mile
broad, and deep enough for the largest ships.

On the following morning we broke up our camp at break of day, and,
favoured by wind and tide, sailed swiftly forward in a direction almost
due north. The aspect of the river now frequently changed: its breadth
varied from one to two and three miles. We often came into large reaches
many miles in circumference, and surrounded by magnificent scenery. We
sailed past pretty hilly islands adorned with lofty spreading trees, and
every where found a sufficient depth of water to admit the largest
ships. The steep banks sometimes opened to delightful plains, where the
deer were grazing under the shadow of luxuriant oaks. The voyage was in
fact, even at this time of year, a most agreeable excursion.

When we had proceeded eighteen miles from our night camp, and
twenty-three from the river's mouth, we reached the confluence of the
two streams. One flows from the east, and the other from the north. The
Spaniards call the first Pescadores; farther inland it receives two
other rivers, which, according to our pilot, are equally broad and deep
as itself: the missionaries have given them the names of St. Joachim,
and Jesus Maria. Some way up these rivers, whose banks are said to have
been uncommonly fertile and thickly peopled, the pious fathers have
journeyed to convert the Indians and procure labourers for the missions.
Now that a part of the natives have yielded to conversion, and others
have fled farther into the interior to escape it, no human being is to
be found in the tract of land which we were surveying; no trace remains
of a numerous race called Korekines, by whom it was once inhabited.
Since the river Pescadores was already known, I chose the o